The Dodgers’ Chris Taylor connects for a solo home run that gave the team a 3-2 lead in the sixth inning of Game 1 of the NLCS on Saturday at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by John McCoy, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

LOS ANGELES — This year’s National League Championship Series is more sequel than rerun – because sequels allow for new characters to take on starring roles.

A year ago, Yasiel Puig watched much of the NLCS between the Dodgers and Chicago Cubs from the bench, relegated to a platoon role six weeks after returning from his demotion to Triple-A. Chris Taylor and Charlie Culberson watched it on TV.

In fact, only one player who started alongside Clayton Kershaw in the decisive Game 6 at Wrigley Field last year was on the field with the left-hander for the first pitch of this year’s rematch – third baseman Justin Turner.

So this time around, Puig, Taylor and Culberson played pivotal roles as the Dodgers rallied from two runs down to beat the Cubs, 5-2, in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series on Saturday night at Dodger Stadium.

The trio of Puig, Taylor and Culberson combined for five of the Dodgers’ eight hits (including home runs by Puig and Taylor), drove in four of the five and scored three.

“Losing Corey (Seager) is no fun. He’s one of the best players on our team,” Kershaw said of the back injury that will sideline Seager for the NLCS. “Other guys are going to have to step up. You saw that tonight.”

The ensemble-cast approach isn’t just limited to the position players. Kershaw has tried to play leading man for the Dodgers in past postseasons only to forget his lines at the most inopportune times.

He only went five innings in Game 1, giving up a two-run home run to Albert Almora Jr. that put the Cubs in front. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts smelled blood in the water as the Dodgers rallied to tie the score and pinch-hit for Kershaw.

“To be able to go the bullpen and having the confidence in them was a huge driver,” Roberts said. “But you still have a chance to tack on another run.

“I thought it was the right move.”

It was. The Cubs didn’t have another hit after Almora’s fourth-inning home run. Their final 18 batters went down in order.

The Dodgers had to settle for the two runs they had put up on back-to-back walks by Logan Forsythe and Austin Barnes, an RBI double from Puig and a sacrifice fly by Culberson – a replacement part for the injured Seager – that tied the score.

Depleted by their exhausting NLDS Game 5 victory in Washington and a cross-country travel odyssey, the Cubs’ taxed bullpen was no match for the Dodgers.

Taylor remade his swing last winter, in large part, to better deal with major-league velocity. He turned around a 97 mph fastball from Hector Rondon for a solo home run in the sixth inning to give the Dodgers the lead.

“He’s done it all year for us,” Roberts said. “Just another thing to add to his special season.”

Puig is having a special postseason. He went deep off left-hander Mike Montgomery to start the seventh. He hit just two of his 28 regular-season home runs off left-handers but is seizing the spotlight this fall, going 7 for 15 with six RBI in four games.

“The talent is always there,” Kershaw said of his most combustible teammate. “He goes through stretches like this. But to maintain that focus from pitch to pitch, at-bat to at-bat … maybe the postseason is doing that for him.

“It’s pretty fun to watch.”

There was more to watch after Puig’s seventh-inning homer. Culberson followed with a double and was still standing on second base after Brandon Morrow tried to bunt him over and Taylor beat out an infield single.

When Justin Turner singled to left, Taylor tried to score and was tagged out at the plate by Cubs catcher Willson Contreras. But Contreras had stuck out his left leg to block Culberson’s route to the plate before the throw arrived.

The Dodgers challenged and the play was overturned on replay for a violation of the home plate collision rule (adopted in 2014). Cubs manager Joe Maddon protested and was ejected from the game.

“That was a beautifully done major-league play all the way around,” Maddon said of the throw from Kyle Schwarber and Contreras’ block. “That (rule) gets interpreted kind of like tantamount to the soda tax in Chicago, for me.

It is the first time the Dodgers have won the opening game of the NLCS since 1985. In five subsequent trips to the LCS before this year, the Dodgers always started out in a hole – including 1988, the last time they won this series and advanced to the World Series.

“To me, at this time of year, it’s a relieved feeling to win that first game,” Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen said after striking out the final four Cubs to seal the victory. “It puts extra pressure on them now. We understand they come in here trying to steal one game (on the road). Now that puts extra pressure on them to do it tomorrow.”

Bill Plunkett has covered everything from rodeo to Super Bowls to boxing (yeah, I was there the night Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield's ear off) during a career that started far too long ago to mention and eventually brought him to the OC some time last century (1999 actually). He has been covering Major League Baseball for the Orange County Register since 2003, spending time on both the Angels and Dodgers beats.